YENYERE YUCCA MANIHOT AHE!

FORGIVE ME intercontinental reader if I go back to the edible gardening stories, but I must share this gardening adventure. Some of you may think that humor is something that is forbidden down these quarters, but no, I do have some humor that may/may not be appreciated by the feeble minds that surround me, but is there...

Regarding the tittle, lets take a wild twisted turn lexicon music wise...Ray Barreto the late conga drummer from New York, was one of my favorite NY salsa bands for around a decade. Also my favorite conga drummer until Gerry Gonzalez and his brother created Fort Apache Band. His best singer was Tito Allen, and the one who lasted longer Adalberto Santiago. Allen's recording INDESTRUCTIBLE was a landmark that I have heard probably a thousand times. Particularly at the time it came out and I was into smoking natural herbs with Luis Aviles, convicted, Fernando Monteverde, god knows where the hell he went; and Juan Rosario the important guy with Mission Industrial. So important, he can not respond to your humble servant messages, SCREW THEM all.

To make this long story longer, lets be a little bit brief. The last record by
Ray Barreto with Adalberto Santiago, went out in 1974. QUE VIVA LA MUSICA. There was a guajira, Bruca Manigua, that I still enjoy
because it swings. And there without any further re due the tittle.

Yucca manihot is one of the edibles in my garden, if you got a chance to check my inventory of August 2009, you will see it. I never thought of digging up for it until today. For your humble servant, it was just a really ornamental small tree/bush with a canopy that reminds me of the Draco.

First I had to get rid of the twelve feet four inches thick trunk/leaves. Cut
in pieces with the right tools was not a big deal. Then I got into the nitty gritty, feeling a pleasure hard to describe. It is the first time in almost four decades of cultivating that I get something of such weight/size
to eat, growing under the soil/view.

Well, being more precise the second. The first was a Batata, the orange kind from one vine I thought for many years as just an ornamental. On the right of the blog there is a picture under Cascade or something similar. It is chartreuse green a not common color in nature, at least in tropical pastures.

Taking a spiral turn, twisting again, let me remind you that I keep a thirty
gallon pot to make my compost. Diva's poop, is the latest ingredient added
to shredded newspapers, soil, dry/green leaves, dust, dogs hair, coffee grounds, onion/garlic skin that makes the 'secret' combination.

The last time I went through the layering process, (if you make compost
you know what I am writing about) noticing it on the dry side, I added too much water! If you make compost you know what it smells like
when all is right. When is not, the anaerobic conditions, create the smell found in any of Puerco Rico's beaches: Luquillo, Guanica and Fajardo.
pure sewage and urea, that will make you sick if you use/visit these public rest rooms. A vile national disgrace (one of many) swept under
the carpet among the happy go lucky, native islanders.

What to do? With the compost of course...Wonders the lay man/woman... Let it dry a little, get some fresh air...In the process, the smell is so intense that many big gigantic flies came out of nowhere to enjoy the man groove like smell, creating a festivity kind of atmosphere among the lizards waiting for lunch, ready for the hunt.

Perhaps you are one of those children who grew up with dinosaurs as a toy, (I did not), the most exciting adventure today gardening wise, somehow, was to find a Frangipani caterpillar in the pupa stage on the ground. As mentioned before, this cute, thick, green/black caterpillar is an eating machine. Something learned recently, their pellet like poop is mostly nitrogen, to feed the soil. Time to go....